The Forming of Skipper's Team
by TheEmptiestOfElegies
Summary: When a penguin claiming to be a military officer shows up at zoos across the United States, he chooses penguins from different backgrounds to be in his team, to fight against the greatest threat to mankind. Rating may go up later. ON HIATUS FOR NOW!
1. A New Friend for Private

A young, small penguin was creeping along in the shadows, breathing heavily, trying to stay hidden. His down-feathers ruffled in the breeze, making him shiver. He looked around the corner only to see nothing. He sighed in relief and tobogganed over to the next wall.

'Almost there,' the young bird thought. 'Almost home.'

He suddenly froze in his tracks when he heard footsteps nearby. He pressed his body against the cold concrete wall, hoping that the unknown person wouldn't see him. He clamped his eyes shut and held his breath.

'Please, please don't be Snapper!' the youngling thought in a panic.

After a few terrifying moments, the footsteps receded. The penguin let out the breath he'd held, glancing around to see if anyone else was around. Smiling, he rounded the corner.

"No!" the penguin screamed, running head-first into a large, tough penguin known as Snapper.

"Hey, guys! Look!" Snapper yelled over his shoulder, yanking the young penguin from the ground. "I found him!"

A group of penguins formed around the two, closing in around them, yelling at the helpless penguin in the stronger one's grasp.

"Where's that fish you promised me?" Snapper sneered, face inches away from the youngling's.

"I don't have any," the smaller penguin whimpered. "There was only enough for me. I ate it all, Snapper."

"You know what that means, don't you?" Snapper said, grip tightening around him flipper, crushing it.

"Snapper, please!" the penguin pleaded. "I'm sorry! I promise it won't happen again! I'll give you all my meals for the next month!"

"Sounds good to me." The larger penguin glanced at the group, a smile forming on his face. "But unfortunately for you, you still have to be punished," Snapper said menacingly.

He threw the small penguin to the ground and pounced on him, throwing punches and yanking him back whenever he tried to get away.

"Stop! Please!" the young penguin screamed.

Snapper ignored him, and instead began punching harder and faster.  
>The youngling spotted an opening in which he could escape if he was fast enough. In-between punches, he leapt up and ran as fast as he could. Snapper growled in annoyance and followed after him, quickly overtaking him.<p>

Snapper grabbed his flipper and pulled, sending the child sprawling across the ground. He stepped on his flipper, keeping him in place.

"You're gonna regret that," Snapped hissed. He lifted his foot and stomped down on the youngling's wing.

He let out a scream as he felt his wing snap. He had never felt pain like this before; this time, Snapper had gone too far.

"How's it feel, you stupid, good for nothing baby?" Snapper laughed. The group joined in, mocking and jeering at the injured child.

"Hey, leave him alone! Get away!" came a shout from behind the crowd.

The crowd immediately dispersed in a panic; no one interfered except for the adults, and there was severe consequences if anyone was caught bullying someone.

A rather small penguin stomped over, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed into slits.

"You!" he yelled, pointing at Snapper. "Get off of him!"

Snapper stood up, stepping on the youngling's chest to ensure he wouldn't escape. "And just who do you think you are?" he demanded.

"A military officer," the penguin answered with authority. "And if you don't get off him, I'll have to report you for physical abuse."

Without anymore questions, Snapper sprinted in the opposite direction, a cloud of dust forming behind him. The officer nodded and waddled to the small penguin's side, a concerned look drawn upon his face.

"You okay, kid?" he asked, supporting his head carefully.

"It hurts!" the child wailed, clutching his right flipper. "Make it stop hurting!"

The officer knew that his wing was broken by the way it was angled. He carefully picked the bawling child up and briskly walked away. He examined the young penguin as he walked. The child looked extremely young, as he still had most of his down feathers. He was bruised cut all over. The officer sighed sadly, shaking his head. 'Poor kid,' he thought, 'No child should have to go through that abuse.'  
>They quickly made it to a large building with a red cross on it. The officer immediately knew that this was the clinic. Glancing around, he spotting no one, and cautiously walked into the building. He set the child down, who had managed to calm down by now, and pushed some boxes over to the table by the window. Soon, he had stairs that he could carry the injured youngling up.<p>

He scooped the young penguin up and carefully climbed up the makeshift stairs. Setting him down on the table, he rushed away and searched for the supplies he would need to fix the child's wing.

"What's your name?"

The officer froze momentarily before resuming his search. "Um, you can call me Skipper," he answered slowly. "What's your name?"

"I don't have a name," the youngling sniffled, glaring at his feet. "My parents left me when I was only two days old. I was told that they didn't want me, so they just left." He trembled, a tear sliding down his face. "I just... why didn't they want me?"

Skipper's face fell. "Oh gosh," he mumbled, flippers shaking as he grabbed some gauze. "No, no, no... it can't be..."

Private was genuinely confused. "What is it?" he asked quietly, wiping his tears away with his good flipper.

"Um, nothing, nothing," he lied, quickly walking back over with the gauze in hand. "Alright, this may hurt a bit. Just try to keep still, 'kay?" Skipper began to carefully wrap the gauze around the younger penguin's flipper.

They both stayed silent for a while before Skipper broke the silence. "Since you don't have a name, I'll just call you Private for the time being. And before you ask why, it's because it's the lowest rank in the military, so it works because you're young. Besides, I suck at coming up with names."

Private giggled, sniffing. "That's fine. It suites me, I think."

Skipper nodded and asked slowly, "How would you like to come with me? You wouldn't have to worry about being bullied anymore, and it would be nice to have someone to talk to."

"I would love to!" Private exclaimed, a large smile on his face. He grimaced, as he had hurt his flipper in his excitement.

Skipper smiled as well. "I'm glad that you're willing to go." His face darkened. "But if I tell you to do something, you do it immediately, no questions asked. Understood?"

"I understand!" Private said.

"Good," Skipper nodded in approval. "Are you able to walk?"

"I think so." Private stood up with Skipper's help, and was relieved that he was able to walk just fine. He smiled in triumph.

"We leave immediately," Skipper informed, helping Private walk down the stairs. "Do you have any personal belongings that you want?"

"No, I don't-" Private stopped short. "Oh, wait! I do have one thing! It's a green notebook. Um, can you come with me to get it?" Private gazed up at Skipper with wide eyes.

"Of course I'll come! I don't want you getting hurt again." He ruffled the feathers on Private's head.

Private laughed nervously, "Yeah, wouldn't want that..."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well! I decided to rewrite this chapter (and probably all the other chapters) because I wasn't satisfied with how they were written. I'd say this is an improvement from the original, wouldn't you say? And I'm slowly writing the next chapter (you know, the one I promised I'd gonna write but never got around to it? XD), so keep your eyes open for that! :)_


	2. Airport Catastrophe

**Airport Catastrophe**

Private skipped excitedly as the duo walked to the airport, the elder penguin looking glum. Skipper was beginning to have second thoughts about the mission. What if he got killed? What would become of the child? He wasn't sure if bringing Private along was a good idea, but then he remembered the situation he had found him in. Skipper let out an irritated sigh.

"Something wrong, Skippah?" Private asked, causing Skipper to start.

"No, nothing's wrong!" Skipper yelled quickly.

Private looked skeptical, but decided to let the subject drop. He stared ahead, smiling as he saw the airport come into view.

The parking lot was crowded with both cars and people, so they had to be extra careful to both stay hidden, and avoid getting run over by a car. Sliding under an idle car, Skipper signaled to Private to go ahead. Private quickly waddled ahead, not sliding because of his injured flipper. Skipper and Private hid under another car, the former peeking behind a saw the wheels of a stroller approching. As soon as it was passing the car, the leader threw Private into the basket under the stroller. The child squealed in fear, flapping his uninjured wing. Skipper quickly jumped in with Private, smacking him across the head.

"Keep it together!" Skipper hissed, his eyes anxiously watching the area.

"Sorry," Private mumbled meekly.

Having nothing else to do, Skipper listened in onto the conversation the woman was having on the phone. "No, I am positive about this," the young mother said angrily into the phone. "Richard, no. I-NO! I'm sorry, but it's over. No, it's OVER. Goodbye."

Skipper rolled his eyes. Surely, he wasn't going to fall in love in HIS lifetime.

As the stroller was pushed through the electric doors, Skipper again threw Private. The child skillfully rolled behind a potted plant, but not without hurting his wing.

"Ow!" Private yelped.

"Private!" Skipper hopped out, helping Private sit up. "Be a bit more careful next time."

"Well throw me better next time!" Private snapped. Realizing what he did, he quickly apologized. Skipper nodded absentmindedly and glanced behind him.

"At least we weren't seen," the leader mumbled. "But that could change at any time. We have to be on high alert."

Skipper led Private through the row of plants, glancing behind his shoulder every few seconds. Private whimpered, his flipper hurting more the before. Skipper hushed him and pulled him into a more crowded area, hiding under a table.

"Stay close, Private," Skipper whispered. "It's easy to get separated in a crowded place like this."

The lead penguin held Private by his good wing, pulling him beside him. Spotting a slightly unzipped suitcase, Skipper picked Private up and jumped inside, quickly zipped it up the rest of the way once inside.

"So, how long?" Private asked.

Skipper leaned back, flippers folded behind his head. "Eh, depends. I'd say about five hours, if all goes well. Longer if something goes wrong, which I think'll happen."

"Why do you think something will go wrong?" Private inquired.

"Because, young Private, the odds are always against us. If something'll go wrong, it usually will."

"Oh, okay then."

They sat in silence, until a loud, demanding voice jerked them from their thoughts.

"Alright, sir, open the suitcase," the voice said, calmly but firmly.

Light flooded the baggage, blinding the two for a moment. Private was confused about what was going on. Why was someone searching the suitcase? Who did that loud voice belong to?

"Private!" Skipper screamed. "Get out! Abort! ABORT!"

Before Private could do anything, Skipper grabbed his wing and yanked him out of the baggage, screams meeting their ear-holes. People were scurrying this way and that, children pointing and asking what the commotion was about.

"Skipper, why is everyone running and screaming?" Private wheezed.

"Because, Private, in the humans' eyes, either belong in zoos or Antarctica," Skipper replied quickly.

"What about the penguins in Africa?"

"YES, Africa too," Skipper snapped.

The door was in their sight. Skipper smiled in satisfaction. They were going to escape. Unfortunately, the two penguins were quickly surrounded. Animal Control had finally arrived.

"Hover Dam!" Skipper swore under his breath. "Private, when I give the signal, run and don't look back no matter what!"

"Uh, penguins can't ru-"

"DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?"

Silence. And a loud thump.

"Uh, Private?" Skipper turned around to see Private laying unconscious on the ground.

Skipper felt a sharp pain in his back. He suddenly felt woozy, struggling to remain conscious. Finally, he gave in and fell to the ground, unmoving.


	3. Captured

Captured

Skipper woke up with a start, jumping up and hitting his head on the... ceiling? He rubbed his now sore head,

confused. Why would the ceiling be so low? Unless... Suddenly he remembered; Private collapsing, the pain in

his neck. They must have been caught by Animal Control. But where's Private? "Hover dam!" exclaimed the

leader. "Private, where are you?"

He looked around the area, but couldn't see a thing; the room was pitch black, so dark he couldn't see his

flipper in front of his face. He called out again, but louder. A low moan reached Skipper's earholes.

"Skippah... I hurt..."

"Private?" Skipper crawled in the direction that voice had come from. Soon enough, I came upon a small body.

It was Private. "Private! Are you okay?" Skipper felt him over. He felt a warm liquid on his flippers when he

touched the child. Skipper gasped, knowing exactly what it was.

"They hurt me, Skippah," Private whimpered, startling the leader.

"What did they do to you?" Skipper demanded. His tone must have frightened the child, because Private

flinched, letting out a small whine. Skipper sighed, and in a gentler tone asked, "Private, what did they do

to hurt you?"

"They hit me and said mean things," Private wailed, clutching Skipper and crying into his chest feathers. "I

was scared, Skippah! I didn't know what to do." Skipper tenderly stroked what he believed to be Private's

back; at least, he hoped it was.

"Don't worry, Private. I'll get us out of this mess," the lead penguin said confidently. His stomach growled

loudly, causing him to tense up.

"Are you hungry, Skippah?" Private choked out.

"No, something's not right. My gut's telling me so."

"Your... gut?" Private sounding unsure. How could one's gut speak to them? "How does that work?" he asked,

wiping his eyes.

"Let's just say, my gut's never wrong. Every time it's said something bad's about to happen, something bad

happens."

"It didn't growl at the airport." the child pointed out.

Before anything else could be said or done, light flooded the area. Private squealed, holding Skipper

tightly for protection. Skipper blinked to adjust his eyes to the sudden change in light, and was soon able to

see what was going on. He saw for the first time that they were in a large cage. He also saw two Animal

Control officers staring at them, wide smiles on their faces.

"Well well well! Two little penguins. What zoo did you escape from, I wonder?" the first officer said.

"I think the boss said the Lexington Zoo," said the second officer. "Well, one of them is from there. The

other one doesn't have any records anywhere."

The first officer scratched his head, confused. "How could it not have any records? Did it come from

Antarctica recently or something?"

"'It' has a name!" Skipper sneered, folding his flippers angrily.

"How should I know?" the second officer snapped, grabbing the cage. "Anyway, we have to ship them off to the

Lexington Zoo, along with another penguin that we found late last night."

Private looked up at Skipper, grimacing. "You're sitting on my wing, Skippah."

Skipper's head snapped to the source of the voice. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, scooting over a few inches. It

was then that he noticed a large gash just above Private's eye. Unfortunately, the second Animal Control

officer noticed the injury as well.

"This penguin needs medical attention," the said man mumbled, opening the cage and reaching in to grab

Private. Skipper jumped in the way, eyes narrowed, growling.

"You won't lay a finger on him!" the leader seethed.

The second officer set the cage down, taking something from the other man. When he turned back towards the

two birds, he thrust something into Skipper. The leader squawked, knowing immediately what had happened.

"Not again..." he murmured, collapsing on his side. The last thing he remembered seeing was Private's

terrified face...


	4. Skipper's Nightmare

"Skippah!"

Skipper's eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly, eyes darting around to find the source of the voice.

He seemed to be sitting on air. Underneath him seemed solid, yet there was nothing under him except air. All around him was a bright white; no trees or buildings, just whiteness.

"Skippah! Over here!"

The leader jumped to his feet. About a foot away was a silhouette of a short, chubby penguin-Private. Skipper jumped back, startled.

"Private, how did you-" Skipper was interrupted by the younger bird.

"Hurry, Skippah! We have to run!" Private's silhouette gestured for Skipper to follow him. The child skipped away, calling over his shoulder, "Come on, Skippah! Hurry!" The silhouette suddenly faded in a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace that he had been there moments before.

"Wha?" Skipper was confused. "Private? Private!" He ran a few steps, but stopped when he realized that Private was truly gone. He stared at the ground, scowling. "What is going on?"

Hearing a noise behind him, he turned and saw another silhouette. The dark shape showed a large, heavyset penguin with a mohawk of sorts on its head.

"Run," the large penguin rasped, pointing in the direction Private's silhouette had run before it had vanished.

"Why?" Skipper questioned. He didn't know what was going on, and he didn't like it at all.

"RUN!" The penguin silhouette pushed Skipper before disappearing in the same manner Private had just a minute before.

Skipper's eyes widened. "Wha- Why is everyone disappearing like that?"

He felt someone tap his shoulder. He quickly turned, poised to attack. Standing there was a silhouette of a tall, lanky penguin. The silhouette appeared to be trembling. "I'm sorry," he said in a quite, almost inaudible voice. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't understand what's going on!" Skipper yelled. "Explain what's happening!"

The tall penguin flinched. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I didn't want to do it." He disappeared as well, leaving Skipper alone again.

"Wait!" Skipper shouted, eyes narrowed into slits. "Come back! You didn't explain anything! In fact, now I have more questions than before!"

"Well, well, well! Looks like my foe is all alone now," a loud, high-pitched voice boomed.

Skipper froze. He closed his eyes, growling. "You..." He turned, hatred coursing through his body. "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?"

He turned around, facing the direction the voice had come from, but was shocked to see that there was nothing there.

"B-But how-?" Skipper stuttered.

"Silly Skipper. You can't see me, but I can see you."

"Where are you?" Skipper roared. "Show yourself!"

The unknown enemy laughed. "Killing that weakling that you had tag along with you was such a pleasure."

Skipper's blood ran cold. "Y-You killed him?" Uncontrollable rage overwhelmed him. "HOW COULD YOU? HE WAS ONLY A CHILD!"

"It was amusing to think that he thought you would save him. He wouldn't stop screaming your name. 'Skipper! Skipper!'" the invisible foe said, mocking Private's voice and laughing. His laughter quickly died, and the voice grew serious again. "I finally got tired of his constant screaming and disposed of him."

"NO! YOU'RE LYING!" Skipper screamed into the sky. "YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE ME THINK THAT HE'S DEAD! HE'S NOT DEAD!"

"Poor, poor Skipper," the enemy said with mock pity. "I'm SO sorry." He laughed, angering Skipper even more.

"I'm... going to... kill you," the lead penguin hissed. "You are going to pay. He was only a boy, still in his down feathers. He didn't do anything to you."

"Oh, but here's where you're wrong. He was assisting you. You were going to use him so that you could destroy me."

Skipper remained silent, glowering at his feet. His flippers were clenched into fists, wanting to beat his enemy to a bloody pulp. "No. I took him because he was living a horrible life," Skipper seethed, "just like you made me live, and just like you made him live. I didn't want him to go through the same things I had to."

"All you did was bring him into danger. A danger that you were well aware of."

"I-"

"You think you're brave, but all you are is a coward who pretends to be a hero. No amount of good deeds will change that. If you and him were in danger, you would abandon him to save yourself."

Skipper felt the ground drop beneath him, and the weightless feeling of free fall. His enemy's words echoed in his mind, replaying over and over again.

"STOP!" Skipper screamed, grabbing the sides of his head. "PLEASE, STOP!"

"SKIPPAH!"

Skipper suddenly found himself staring into Private's troubled eyes.

The young penguin had been shaking him, trying to wake him up. His eyes were rimmed with red; he had either been crying or had slept little.

"Skippah, are you okay?" the child asked timidly.

Skipper blinked. "Y-You're alive?" he finally asked.

Private couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I'm alive." The young penguin's smile quickly faded. "You were thrashing around and screaming things while you were unconscious. Are you alright?"

"I, um," Skipper laughed nervously. "Yeah, it was just a bad dream..." Skipper trailed off, staring at the ground without seeing it. "A bad dream..."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors note:<strong>

**THIS CHAPTER WILL MAKE MUCH MORE SENSE LATER ON!**

**There's hinted in here that hintsthings that'll happen later in the story. And I promise, the next team member will come in the next chapter. It's just that I've had so much going on recently, and I have no Internet at my house anymore... I have to use the library's internet, and that's the only reason I'm able to update this. XD**


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